Malvina Reynolds
Lyric guide

I'm Apathetic

Read I'm Apathetic lyrics by Malvina Reynolds on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

Malvina Reynolds visibility1 visits
person Curated by Ethan Walker LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot

The page facts to cite before the commentary

Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.

Page type: lyric reference Artist: Malvina Reynolds Canonical path: /malvina-reynolds/i-m-apathetic Related lyric paths: 6
Lyrics

I'm Apathetic

The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.

The world's best brains have banded together--

On each side of the curtain, that is--

To plan extermination for the whole population,

And to give little me the biz.

With the fallout and the chemical warfare,

They've gone all out, only the best will do.

It's all so suicidal that I find myself idle

When I should be joining in the hullabaloo.

I'm apathetic, I don't know what's the matter;

C.D. officials are turning gray.

Civilian defense doesn't wow me somehow:

I'm a little apathetic today.

They tell you to dig yourself a great big hole,

Take the whole family underground,

And the dogs and the cats, the kettles and the mats,

And anything else that you have around.

You'll have to take a cow to save for the babies,

A couple of chickens and a plot of grass,

You'll be safe, you can trust, from atomic dust--

The stuff that will get you will be poison gas.

(Chorus)

The air is full of automated bombers,

Labs produce cans of concentrated death,

So I'm to get injections to stave off the infections--

When it gets too bad I can just hold my breath.

I don't know why they're picking on a fellow

To compete with the army, the navy and marines.

I wish they'd leave the germs and the atoms and the worms,

And go back to digging some nice latrines.

(Chorus)

The diplomats don't seem to know their business,

I can get on better with the man next door,

We can manage fine without the concrete doghouse,

The world can get along without atomic war.

I could get excited over co-existence,

Peace walks, peace talks, that's a good way,

But for jumping in a hole with my old bed-roll,

I'm a little apathetic today.

Quick answers

What this page can answer fast

Who performs "I'm Apathetic"?

Malvina Reynolds performs "I'm Apathetic", and this lyric page sits inside the Malvina Reynolds catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "I'm Apathetic"?

Yes. The related section below points to I've Got a Song and A Short History of Warfare with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Malvina Reynolds?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Malvina Reynolds's lyric pages.

Song Room

Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song

Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.

Open Song Room
0 followers Selected insights only surface after moderation
Listener comments

What people are saying

0 comments
Add a short interpretation or memory

A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.

Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.

No listener comments on I'm Apathetic yet.